As Green As Emeralds, You Might Say
by Anrheithwyr
Summary: She was Lily and he was James. A couple known throughout time, though they hadn't started out that way, nor had they intended on ending up that way. They hated each other until it just didn't make sense anymore. And them they fell in love.


_**I do not own any of the following quotes or any books/movies/shows/other they come from. All quotes belong to their respective owners. Also, Emma Vanity is NOT mine, I do NOT own her. She is an actual character from this time period who was apparently the Slytherin Quidditch captain from 1972 until her (I assume) graduation in 1976. **_

_**.:**__**｡**__*****__**ﾟ**____**ﾟ**__*****__**｡**__**:. **_

_**(fancy, huh? No? Okay, that's fine. I understand.) **_

_**/**_

"_The best way to win an argument is to begin by being right."-William Ruckelshaus_

_(Flitwick might have made a mistake on this one)_

_or_

_(The beginnings of a great era)_

_(October, 1971)_

"That's statistically incorrect. In fact, that's statistically _impossible_. That will never happen, and all logical humans' beings know that, James Potter. Obviously _you _are not amongst the logical."

"I am too. Just because you don't understand me and what I do, doesn't make me wrong. "

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Show me, then, _Potter_."

"Fine I will, _Evans_."

(mumblings of a spell)

(a flash of light)

(James yelps, his eyebrows singed)

"See? _Told _you it wouldn't work."

"Shut it, you."

"You, my good sir, are the poster boy of the intellectually challenged."

"And _you're _the poster boy for obnoxious, know-it-alls."

"Why, thank you, Potter."

"I just messed up, is all. I need to fix this part a little."

"Or you just messed it up completely. Because it _doesn't work, because it's not a real spell._"

"Did not! Watch!"

(mumbles something else)

(a lamp catches on fire)

"Merlin's saggy buttocks! Why won't it work?"

"'Merlin's (between fits of giggles) saggy buttocks?'"

"Leave me alone, Evans." (scowling)

"I'm sorry." (giggles harder) "I'm r-really sorry! Oh my!"

"Well, if you're so smart, _you _do it, then!"

"Fine, I will."

(points wand at feather)

"_Wingardium Leviosa!_"

(feather lifts softly, floating above their heads)

(a smug smile, directed at his surly face)

"Shut up, Evans."

"Jealous, Potter?"

"I said, _shut up!_"

(rushing over) "Ms. Evans, Mr. Potter! What's going on? Oh, Ms. Evans, how fantastic! Oh, look, everyone, Ms. Evans has managed it! Oho, twenty points to Gryffindor!"

(another smug smile) "See, Potter?"

"I hate you. I really, really hate you, Evans."

"You're so sweet."

"Screw off."

_**/**_

"_We are all a little weird and life's a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love."-Dr. Seuss _

_(Parents)_

_or_

_(James had a conflicted childhood) _

_(November, 1970) _

"She's left, _again._" said Mrs. Potter, storming past James, who sat at the dining table. Mrs. Potter had gone red in the face and her hair was down,-something James had never seen from his perfectly put together mum-the curls swarming around her face.

"Who's left?" asked Mr. Potter, not even looking up from the Daily Prophet. He was more than used to his wife's occasional outbursts. He had spent years listening to his wife's outbursts. Charlus Potter was beyond the point of caring. He was getting older and more tired and he didn't want to _deal _with outbursts.

"Elisabeth. Elisabeth has run off with her _husband_-" here she sneered the word 'husband'. Even little James, just ten years old but scarily observant, knew that his mother was disgusted by Riesling Riesende, with his slicked hair and his salesman smile. James had no problem with Riesling Riesende, but Dorea Potter did. She claimed that Riesling Riesende was a Death Eater, or at least had the same ideas as one, which was practically the same thing. "-and she didn't even bothered to say hello to her own mother and her brother."

"I'm sure Elisabeth is fine, Dorea. Riesling is more than capable of taking care of her, wherever they are. Elisabeth and her husband are both mature adults and you've got to learn to let her go."

"She's _pregnant_, Charlus. What if they get into trouble somewhere? I would like to see my first grandchild before I die, Charlus." She stared out the window, her fists balled, as if that would bring her daughter back. It wouldn't, but Mrs. Potter didn't care. She was mad and when she was mad, she became unreasonable. _Quite _unreasonable.

"As would I. But _I _shall have to wait a bit longer than you, now won't I? _I _don't have any pregnant daughters right now, do I?" Charlus had set his paper down, and was now looking disdainfully at his wife. James' brow furrowed, confused. He knew that Elisabeth was not an easy topic between his parents, though he wasn't sure why. What did his father mean, he didn't have a pregnant daughter? He had Elisabeth, didn't he?

Dorea's eyes flashed as she nodded coldly in James' directions. "Are you saying...little pitchers have big ears, remember?" she said to her husband, who merely shrugged.

"And perhaps little pitchers has more siblings we don't know about, as well."

"Charlus! How dare you imply..."

"Oh, I dare, Dorea! I _more _than dare, and I think I've _earned _that right!"

"I wish you would stop accusing me of-"

"James, go upstairs, please," said Charlus, sighing. He looked very old-he was over seventy years old, and he felt even older. "Your mum and I need to have a serious discussion." _Serious discussion _was the key word for _loud arguments that ended in slammed doors and Mum being gone for a week or two. _

Because it seemed to always be Mum who left, never Dad. Dad always stayed with James, begging off, at work (not that he needed to, really, as Head Auror) and the house would be very peaceful. They would make-and burn-cookies or play hide and seek in the garden, or paint pictures together.

But in the back of James' mind, he would always worry that Mum wasn't coming back, ever, and it would terrify him. He would wake up screaming, his head still full of nightmares of his parents never speaking to each other, or him, and his mum walking out the front door and not coming back for years and years, until he was an adult.

….

_(December, 1972)_

Name:Elisabeth Andreanne Potter 

Born: February 12th, 1945 to Dorea Black Potter and Charlus Camus Potter

Mother: Dorea Black Potter

Father: (Here, the original name, Charlus Potter, had been crossed out and replaced by a different hand, one that is vaguely recognisable) Francois Dolohov

Siblings: Antonin Dolohov (1929) Status: Half-brother.

James Potter (1960) Status: Half-brother

James dropped the papers, backing away. His mum had _cheated _on his dad. Elisabeth...she wasn't his sister. Had never been his complete sister. And Antonin Dolohov; James remembered him from a party a few years ago, a sullen and nasty man who had whacked James' bottom, leaving him sore for a week.

And his sister was _related _to these people? No wonder his father was angry all the time.

Suddenly, James wasn't so scared that his mum would leave and never come back, as he had a few years ago. She _couldn't_. She had cheated on Dad and felt guilty about it; _that's _why she always came back, no matter what. She _had to. _

….

_(May, 1975) _

"What ever happened to your sister, Lisa or whatever? Where'd she ever go-I mean, usually I at least see some sort of letter from her every couple of months, but I haven't heard you say anything in ages about her."

"Elisabeth? I think she's in Zimbabwe right now, with her husband and their son, Krieger. Leastways, they were last I checked. She hasn't written in a few months, and I've no real reason to write _to _her."

"Oh," said Sirius, leaning against a pillar. "Your dad...he doesn't seem to care much for her. What'd she ever do, to make her own dad hate her?"

"Elisabeth? Oh, she's not my _full _sister." James emphasized the word 'full' in a way Sirius had never heard before. His face had gone dark, and he was scowling as he spoke, like the words tasted disgusting in his mouth.

"What?" Sirius nearly choked on his food, totally shocked. James was acting like this was just a part of his everyday life, like he was used to finding out about illegitimate children all the time. That, more than anything else, was what shocked Sirius so much.

"Oh, yeah. See, my mum used to think my dad was completely infertile, so she...sort of...had an affair, and Elisabeth was the result. And it was sort of _obvious_, too, that she had cheated on him, because my dad thought he couldn't have kids then, as well." James shrugged calmly, non-chalantly.

"Wow. I didn't realise...I mean, if one of _my _parents cheated on the other...I'd probably be an orphan by now. And they'd certainly never _tell _me something like that."

"Yeah, well, no one ever told me, actually. I found out when I was looking through Dad's papers a few years ago. It was meant to be some big secret."

"Do your parents know you know?"

"Nope." The expression on his face made it clear to Sirius that he didn't _want _his parents to know that James was aware of the truth, and he seemed more than willing to scuff up anyone who _did _try to tell.

_**/**_

"_It's called love. Everyone does it eventually, the only problem is finding someone to give it to. I mean, if you want, you could just wrap your love up and hand it off to the first boy on the street, but that's not real love, now is it?"-Lucy (Other Touch) _

_(It's Not Awkward 'till I say it is)_

_or_

_(Dates)_

_(February, 1978)_

Lily swung her arms back and forth, comparing her own slender fingers to James' thicker and longer digits. He walked with his arms pinned to his side, his jacket slung over his back. She stopped momentarily, trying to pause her own swinging arms.

"Something wrong?" asked James, also freezing beside her. He cocked his head.

"No. No, sorry. Let's keep going." He nodded and followed after her. Neither one talked, occasionally making eye contact and then blushing, looking away again. Around them, Lily could hear other couples or groups of friends on their trek down to Hogsmeade, laughing and talking. No words were exchanged for several minutes, however, between James and Lily.

"It's cold," she blurted, feeling awkward. James turned to look at her, curious.

"Want my jacket?"

"Um...sure..." Amos-her old boyfriend-had never offered _his _jacket to her, even when it was snowing. It had been the sort of thing she called 'cliché' and 'falsely chivalrous'. But _James _offering it felt...different. More acceptable. He wrapped his jacket around her, smiling.

"You'll get cold."

"Are you kidding? I've practiced in worse. Ask Marlene; she's nearly died doing practice in the snow."

He chuckled and she couldn't help but smile. They continued on in silence down into the village until they had reached the gateway.

"Uh, where d'you want to go?" James asked, shrugging. His entire manner seemed to say 'I don't care, as long as you're fine', but she could see the nervousness in his face. "We could visit the Three Broomsticks, like normal, or if you're particularly brave, the Hog's Head."

"Ew," said Lily, making a face.

"Alright, not there. Um..."

"How about the postal shop?" asked Lily, immediately going scarlet. What a dumb idea. _Idiot. Most boring date ever. _

"The postal shop?" James repeated, looking incredulous. 'Alright, if you want to."

"I was just kidding. The postal shop? Ha-ha, how boring. Let's go somewhere exciting. How about the Shrieking Shack? I've never been by, but Mary says she swears there's really something screaming in there."

"Yeah," said James, but his face had gone all funny, and Lily wondered if she had said something to upset him. The next second, however, James was grinning again, like nothing had ever happened. "Sure, let's go to the Shrieking Shack. Why not. Haven't stopped by since..." he trailed off.

"Since when? Do you stop by often or something?"

"Oh, never mind. I only meant that it's a place that one ought to visit before graduating."

"Right."

"Yep. C'mon, before it gets too cold and you chicken out."

"I will _not _chicken out. Let me remind you, I'm in Gryffindor for a reason."

"Why's that, then?"

"Dunno, Potter. I haven't figured it out yet."

"Potter? I thought we were on first name basis."

"Shut it," she said, blushing. He smiled down at her, then toppled over a tree stump poking from under the snow.

"Fuck!" he said, scowling. James had been too focused on Lily to see where he was going. "_Fuck_." he said again, his foot throbbing.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." He muttered '_fuck_' under his breath again, making Lily smile.

"You sure?"

"No. That stump's just trying to show who is boss around here. It doesn't quite get that _I _am clearly the superior creature." He gave the stump a haughty look and a slight tap with his shoe, and Lily giggled, covering her mouth with her fingers.  
"You're crazy, Potter." She said, still smiling, and James gave her a wide grin, as well as an _I don't care about anything _sort of shrug-the kind of reaction that had become natural to her; she _expected _him to be this way now.

_**/**_

"_Our eyes are placed in the front because it is more important to look ahead than look back."-Anonymous _

_(Looking Back)_

_or_

_(Shadows)_

_(July, 1976)_

"Lily!" Severus called, seeing his old friend heading towards the local bookstore. He knew he could find her here, because Lily was always in need of a new book. She didn't turn to look at him, but continued towards the front door, looking anywhere but him. Severus' heart constricted just a bit, looking at her cold eyes, but he had to talk to her.

"Lily!" he called again, reaching out to grab her arm.

"What do you want, Severus? Come to ruin my summer as well?"

"What? No! I don't want to ruin your summer, Lily. I just...I wanted to talk."

"Why? Because none of your Slytherin friends are around for you to impress? I already discussed this with you, Severus. You and I-we're not friends anymore. _You _made sure of that yourself."

"I didn't mean that-"

"Oh, really? So, now you just call me names because you _can_? You don't even need to mean it?"

"Lily-"

"I don't want to talk about this, Severus. I have to get my book now. Maybe I'll see you around town or something; don't come looking for me, though. It won't make anything better. You and I need to take some time, keep our space."

"But I _want _to be your friend, Lily."

"Well, I don't, to be honest. You have all these new friends that I don't particularly care for, and all you ever do is make excuses for them. You're sixteen, Severus. Pretty soon, you'll have to take action for your choices, and if you continue to associate with the people you do now, it will only bring you trouble."

"Lily-"

"Good-bye, Severus. See you around." She walked off, leaving him confused and dumbfounded. What would he have to do to win her back? What could he do to avoid the anger of his fellow Slytherins, but maintain a relationship with Lily? _Could _he? Lily didn't seem to think so.

….

"Who're you, then?" Severus asked, stopping short of the woman. She was around thirty or so, with dark hair and blue-brown eyes. In all, she reminded Severus of James Potter, in a way. And Severus was quite angry with James Potter right now.

"I'm Elisabeth. Elisabeth Riesende, actually. And, correct me if I'm wrong, but _you _are Severus Snape, yes?"

"Yeah, so?"

"I bring a letter. A summons, really." Severus gave her his most unimpressed look and she chuckled. "From the _Dark Lord himself._"

"Voldem-"

"Do not say his name!" Elisabeth Riesende shrieked, glancing about. "Never say his name!"

"Sorry,"

"It's about his..._group _of followers, see? We're quite interested in you. A few of your housemates, as well, but _especially _you."

"Me?"

"Yes."

"I thought girls couldn't join the Dark Lord's, er, group?"

"Only a select few, Mr. Snape. And only a few students from Hogwarts are hand selected to join. You ought to feel special, Mr. Snape."

"How do I know you aren't lying to me?"

She showed him her left wrist, where the Dark Mark lay, permanently etched into her skin. He couldn't help but stare.

"Impressive, isn't it?"

"Yeah...Um, one last question?"

"Of course."

"Are you related to James Potter?"

The woman chuckled. "Yes, I am. I'm his half-sister not that most people care. Oh, but won't Mummy and Daddy and little Jamie be surprised when they see _me _fighting on the proper side! The side that understands what's truly going on!"

"Yeah. I can't wait to see dumb old Potter's face."

_**/**_

"_Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people."-Eleanor Roosevelt _

_(How Marry McDonald's opinion lessened quite a bit of Sirius and his (ex) girlfriend)_

_or _

_(The History of a Camera) _

_(July, 1978) _

"Say 'cheese'!" said Mary, raising the camera and pointing it at her friends. "Come on, you guys, pay attention! This is really important. I want this picture to be perfect." Nobody listened to her, though, having been quickly distracted by the most recent girlfriend of Sirius Black, who was (Sirius Black, that is, not his girlfriend), in Mary McDonald's opinion, a male tart. Mary McDonald had lost all respect for Sirius Black when he had tried to-drunkenly-ask her out in Sixth Year. It was actually quite questionable whether she had ever truly had any respect for him at all.

The girlfriend was a fellow Seventh Year from Hufflepuff, a cheery, but very naïve, girl named Annette Glenn and she was, as of three days ago, technically Sirius' _ex-girlfriend_. The problem was, Annette didn't seem to want to realise-or really accept-this little truth. Which is why she was now wrapped around Sirius, snogging him, and refusing to let go. (Unfortunately for Sirius, Annette Glenn was much stronger than she looked.)

"Hello? Anyone going to focus on the fact that this is our _last _morning together and that I really want a photo of all of us Gryffindors together?" asked Mary, still holding the camera. Lily turned and gave her an apologetic look that said _'Sorry. People are stupid.' _but did very little to actually help the situation. James-another questionable character, but Lily's boyfriend, so Mary wasn't allowed to complain..within earshot of her friend, anyway-was trying to pry his best friend's ex-girlfriend off his best friend. So far, it didn't seem to be working, and it didn't seem like Mary was going to get one last shot of all her friends. Or in this case, all her friends, and a few annoying boys who happened to be dating her friends.

Well, okay, Remus could be fairly decent when he wanted to, and Peter was sweet-like a little cousin-and, yeah, Adam McKinnon seemed a little less absorbed in his girlfriend then most guys, but still. _James and Sirius equaled problems_.

"Fine. If you lot aren't going to let me take a damn photo, I'll just give this to the Giant Squid or something. I'm sure he'll love my camera, for a snack."

"Sorry, what?" asked James, looking at her with a dumb smirk on his face, still half-focused on Sirius, who was now tugging Annette closer to the lake, miming that they needed 'to talk.' Mary understood the concept of 'talking', when it came to boyfriends. Her own boyfriend-a very nice bloke, a Sixth year, but it hadn't really worked out-had used those exact words before breaking up with her back in April.

"I want to take a photo of all of us, and no one will pay attention."

"Oh." James turned back towards Sirius, who was now being awkwardly hugged by Annette, for a second before nodding. "Right. Sorry, Mary, I'll handle it." He gestured for Lily to get everyone organised and then shuffled over to where Annette was now openly sobbing on Sirius' shirt.

"Um..." said Remus, looking around at the eight of them. "If this is a Gryffindors' photo, shouldn't you be in it?"

"Of course I'll be in it, Remus. _Wingardium Leviosa_? First Year spell?"

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, well, everyone get in order, then. Do as Mary says, get in order so she can take our picture."

The rest of the Gryffindors clustered around each other just as James ran over, tugging Sirius with him. Mary nodded, mumbling _'finally' _under her breath, and flicked her wand at the camera. She then settled next to Dorcas Meadowes and sending Sirius a quick glare.

"Everyone say 'cheese'!" Mary demanded, an obvious '_or else_' hanging in the air.

"Cheese." said the rest.

….

"Hey, Mary! Can we get a picture of just the four of us?" asked James, waving his hand at himself and his friends. "Please?"

"Get together, then."

The four boys shuffled together, arms draped over each other, grinning away at the camera. It was an almost iconic moment, these four trouble makers, best friends, brothers. No one seemed quite aware of what was truly occurring right in front of them, the history of this photo. The four seemed calm, relaxed, almost as if merely posing for what a good day ought to look like. War? the photo asks. What war? It's a photo that will define an era, an entire generation.

Mary shrugged, raising the camera at them. _Snap! _

….

The camera is, technically, Lily's, but she didn't want it anymore. It's not old, it's not bad, but she had handed it to Mary last night, asking her to keep it.

"But why?" Mary had been puzzled. Lily had been obsessed with this camera all term, snapping photos of everyone and everything, until her friends had threatened to pitch into off the tower. Rarely was Lily seen without her camera in hand, ready and waiting.

"I dunno. I'm just...I'm not really interested in cameras anymore. Besides, you want to be a photographer for Witches' Weekly, right? Here's a decent camera, completely free."

"But you _love _this camera."

"Love_d_. I told you, I'm done with cameras. Don't give me that look, Mary-" Mary had, indeed, given her _a look_. "-it's not that big of a deal. I've simply given up on photos. Have at it, you know?"

"Does this have anything to do with your sister? My offer is still out for charming her into a goldfish, you know."

"No, it doesn't involve Tuney. I'm just...really, Mary, I don't even know how to explain it. I'm just..._done _with it you know? It's not that big a deal. It's not like I'm giving up a puppy or a boyfriend." Mary frowned, reminding her friend of the still painful incident between her and the Sixth Year boy who must remain nameless. "Sorry. But, _honestly_, it's not that big of a deal. I've grown out of a hobby."

"Promise it's nothing big?"

"Yes, I promise."

….

Another thing about the camera-because it _is _important, and because Lily Evans crossed her fingers when she said '_I promise_'.

The camera had been a surprise Christmas gift, unmarked and wrapped very neatly. Tucked inside was a note, with instructions on how to make the pictures move. Lily loved the camera-she already knew the potion for her pictures, but it was a nice gesture-but she never did figure out who actually sent her the camera, but she'd always have her suspicions.

The obvious thought was James. It _had _to be James, everything was James! Flowers were James, chocolate was James, the camera was James! But he had denied it, saying he wasn't aware she was ever interested in photography.

"Trust me, I would know if you did." he said in that weird, I-may-be-stalking-you sort of way.

The next most likely guess was her ex-boyfriend, Amos Diggory, who _also _had no idea Lily was into photography. (To be honest, Lily hadn't either, until the camera.)

His letter back-they had been corresponding, more or less, since his graduation-said only that he hadn't bought her a camera, and that, if she wanted, he would be more than willing to do a quick photo shoot with her. She, ever so politely, turned him down.

And, so, the mysterious man- "or woman. It could just as easily been a girl." Marlene had pointed out-remained, well, a mystery. None of her friends would own up to having sent the gift and there was no handwriting. (The potion, unfortunately, had been a typed page, probably ripped from a textbook.)

For the record, Petunia _was _intending on telling her sister that she..._might _have ripped the page from her book and _might _have spent all her Christmas money on a camera, which is why she had only sweets and biscuits to give to her sister the Christmas of 1997. She was also intending on telling Lily that she _might _have possibly sent the neatly wrapped package using a school owl which had stopped by the Evans house to deliver Petunia and Mr. Evans' own gifts from Lily.

(Lily had decided to spend her last Christmas at Hogwarts, for "sentimental purposes", which is why she was not home at the time.)

Yes, Petunia,_ was _intending on telling her sister, eventually. Unfortunately, Lily and Petunia ended up having a rather nasty row just a few months later which resulted in Petunia, just to spite her sister, refusing to tell Lily all about the camera. And then, with the whole fiasco between James going missing and Lily's, ahem, _state_, and everything, the two never really did talk again, properly. Something which, yes, Petunia still regrets (especially when looking into her nephew's eyes) and still wishes she could fix.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. There is still an entire story between the passing of this camera between friends and the death of its first owner.

….

One last thing.

Mary ended up sneaking the camera back to James, who intending on surprising his wife with it that Christmas of '81. Funny, how things happen.

_**/**_

"_Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back everything is different..."-C.S. Lewis_

_(Dumbledore promises)_

_or_

_(James learns the difference between bravery and stupidity)_

_(March, 1980)_

She is pregnant, heavily so. Just a few more months, the Healer had promised; just a few more months. As Lily settled in her chair, James took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Dumbledore sat in front of them, separated by only a desk. His fingers were making steeples (James wanted to grab his wrists. He hated the way his thin fingers bended and lengthened.) his age evident as he looked sadly upon the young couple.

"I am sorry that it has to be this way...so soon already. With your child on the way, due at the end of July, as the prophecy says, I feel it is crucial that we discuss your options now."

"But we don't even know if it's even _us _he'll target. What if it's Alice and Frank? What if it's some other coupe we don't even know of?" James asks, frowning.

_Oh, God, please let it be Alice and Frank_, Lily thinks selfishly, and hates herself for it.

"We _don't_ know who he'll target, James, and that is the problem. I must protect you both-you and the Longbottoms, just in case. If I were to point fingers at one couple, only to find out it wasn't them...it would be unbearable."

"So, we both have to hide like little scared mice, running back to our holes?" asks James. His eyes have gone dark, and he scowls. James didn't want to hide, he wanted to fight. He wanted to show Voldemort and everyone else that they were just being stupid.

"James," says Lily softly, but James shrugs her off.

"I don't want to hide, Dumbledore. I don't want to shy away from the entire world and stop showing my face, just because I'm scared. I won't be called a _coward_."

"But if you don't protect your wife and her children, James, what you will be is dead," Dumbledore replies calmly, although his eyes seem a little sharper. James sits back down, dumbfounded.

"We...we can do this, right Dumbledore? James and I, we'll be safe, won't we?" She looks him straight in the eyes.

"Of course, Lily," Dumbledore says, and in that split second, they both know he is lying, but Lily would much rather hear comforting lies right now, and not the brutal, cruel truth. Because _they are not safe. _They will _never be safe again_, not as long as Voldemort is around. And there was no telling how long it would be before he struck, or what would happen between now and then. Perhaps Lily would die in the next month, and her child would never be born.

"Wait," says James, "You said the prophecy is about a _boy_, right?"

"Yes,"

"So, does that mean...?"

"Most likely, yes."

"James, focus," Lily says, rolling her eyes. "Voldemort will be _hunting down _this son of ours, remember?"

"Oh, yeah."

_**/**_

_"No one laughs at God when they're staring down the end of a wand."-Jewels5 (The Life and Times) (Chapter 1: Prologue, Chapter 9: The Art of Walking) _

_(She didn't actually mean it)_

_or_

_(He did)_

_(December 22nd, 1978)_

He had his wand pointed just over her heart. She paused, her eyes wide on the thin stick of wood. He wasn't smiling, his face unmasked. It was worse when their face was unmasked, because it meant they wanted you dead. They weren't worried about you telling any Aurors about them, because you were about to die.

"Why don't you, then?" The one thing she could hold onto right now was her strength. Lily would not allow her voice to wobble with fear. She would not show fear. He wasn't getting away with _that_.

"Do what? I'm not sure I entirely understand." He smirked, his wand as steady as her voice. It was now a contest to see who would give up first. Who would walk away victorious and who wouldn't walk away at all? "Was there something you wanted me to say? What do you mean, sweetie?"

"If you've come to kill me, why don't you? Stop teasing me!"

He shook his head. "Little foolish girl, doesn't know what's going on, does she? I'm not here to kill you, I'm here to offer you a little..._refreshing _point of view, from my, er, boss. See, we've been watching you-"

"Which is _so _not creepy, of course."

He smirked again. "-and we've noticed you're very good. Head Girl, prefect for two years straight, highest marks possible in everything except Transfiguration."

"That stuff was hard!" Lily wasn't sure why she was barbing the man. He had a wand pointed straight at her. But she couldn't resist.

"Anyway, it's hard to ignore such a brilliant mind. We've come to..._propose _an idea, I guess would be a good way of putting it. We'd like you, Lily Evans, to join our ranks as a Death Eater. Think how great it will be, when the Dark Lord finally ascends into power. We will rule the world, with the Muggles and Muggleborns under our thumb, doing as we say. Your wonderful mind with our ambition-and don't you worry, we're interested in your little boyfriend as well."

"Mhmm. Sounds interesting, all right. Only one problem with your little plan."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"I'm a Muggleborn, idiot. _Impedimenta!_" she yelled, not even bothering to see if it worked, just turning and running. Her hair was in her face, her head scrambling wildly for a hiding spot. At one point, she tripped, but merely got back up, still running. She could hear vague noises behind her, but nothing sounded close.

This was the _second _time someone had contacted her. The first had been while she was still in school, over Christmas break. They were obviously still looking for her and James.

How much longer was it going to be before she wouldn't have a chance to run away, or say no? When was she going to have to give up and admit all of this scared her? That she wasn't ready to join the Order and fight Death Eaters, even if she was some 'greatly talented' witch. Didn't anyone realise she was scared out of her mind? The fighting, the death-it scared her; it terrified her. But what she supposed to do? Back away?

Lily didn't _ever _back away from anything. Not even the stuff she was afraid of.

_**/**_

"_I never look back, darling! It distracts from the now."-Edna 'E' Mode, The Incredibles (2004) _

_(James has a slight problem)_

_or _

_(It's more fun when there are two)_

_(April, 1975) _

As mentioned before, in July of 1978, Sirius had a girlfriend named Annette Glenn who he had recently broken up with. Not, of course, that Sirius was nearly anywhere _close _to the male tart that everyone liked to compare him to. He hadn't slept with _every _girl in the school. Only, at most, fourteen or fifteen. _Maybe _sixteen.

And, of course, Annette hadn't been that bad of a girl. Or a girlfriend. She was pretty (which was important), she was nice (less important), and she distracted Sirius from what really mattered. (Which was the best reason of all.)

By what was important, we mean, one, Remus John Lupin, who was a sandy blonde werewolf, Sirius' roommate, and Sirius' first official kiss.

The kiss, unfortunately for Sirius, had been an accident from both parties. Back in Fourth Year, after a particularly nasty beating served to the Slytherins, the Gryffindors had decided to have a bloody fantastic party, which, naturally, involved a lot of Firewhiskey and Butterbeer. Which, of course, also led to Sirius consuming far too much.

Remus had been sitting on the couch and Sirius had been wandering around with a drink in hand, looking for something to do. (Peter had begged off almost an hour ago and James was too busy setting fire to a curtain.) This left Remus, Sirius, and about forty others packed into a common room with too much beer and not enough room.

"Want to go outside, then?" asked Sirius, crashing next to Remus, nearly leaning on him. Remus could smell the alcohol on his breath and was about to recommend going upstairs when Sirius leaped up, tugging the second boy to his feet. "Come on, outside! Let'ssh go."

Feeling rather foolish, Remus had agreed and followed after his wobbly friend. Sirius led him outside, just out of view of the Fat Lady-who was a notorious gossip, even then-and looked around, checking that the hallway was empty.

"I...I hassh, _have _shumthing to sshay to you."

"Have at it, then." Sirius leaned in, as if to whisper to his friend, like a little girl with a naughty secret.

Unfortunately, or fortunately (depending on who you were asking), Sirius never got to say what he wanted. His foot had gone numb and, as he moved in to whisper whatever it was he had to say. Instead, the dark haired boy tripped, his body crashing-and knocking over-Remus'.

Sirius had ended up on top of Remus, but that wasn't the most embarrassing part. Neither was the fact that his lips were pressed-by accident, he would insist later on-into Remus'. The most embarrassing part of it all was that for another seventeen seconds, Sirius' lips _remained _on Remus' without either noticing. The hallway seemed suddenly overheated, and Remus felt himself blush.

"Oh." said Remus, shoving Sirius off of him. Both boys looked at each other and then away, embarrassed.

"Oh." Sirius echoed. "Um..."

"Yeah..."

Suddenly, Sirius didn't feel so drunk, or so bored. He looked at Remus again, noticing that his friend was rather scrawny, but had nice hair and eyes and lips and...

"Banana!" he blurted.

"What?" Remus' eyes narrowed, a blush still on his face. "_What_?" he asked again.

"Bananas! You know, I've always loved bananas! In fact, I'm going to go get some right now, from the kitchens. Yup, right now. See you, Remus."

And, with that, he jumped up, rushing down the hall.

….

"Anyway," the Fat Lady whispered to her friend, Vi, later that night, long after everyone else had gone to bed. "I heard those two in the hallway, but I couldn't _see _them. I assume they were discussing their relationship."

"Oh, how cute!"

"I always thought..."

"..those two.."

"..cutest couple..."

"...ever seen?"

"Well, maybe James and that red haired girl, what's her name?"

"Lily?"

"Yes, Lily. If _those _two paired up..."

"...I know, right?"

"So cute.."

"_So _cute."

"Of course, it _would _be quite obvious.."

"..seen it coming for year.."

"..yes, me, too..."

"...I know!"

"Would you two mind shutting up so those of us that don't really care can get some sleep?" asked a grumpy portrait a few feet down.

"Hmph. Well, _you're _no fun," Vi huffed.

….

There were many reasons why no one ever noticed the awkward situation out in the hall. For one, the Fat Lady _never did_ get an answer as to why Sirius seemed so flustered, running by her and screaming about bananas. She also didn't get an answer when Remus merely muttered "_Honing Küsse_" at her, clambering into the Common Room and swearing to never speak of the incident again.

There was also a very, _very _good reason why James was to never find out. As you know, Peter had already gone to bed-for some reason, Peter seemed to miss a lot of the good adventures, much to his chagrin-and James was in the Common Room. Setting fire to the curtains.

This was, of course, an accident. A complete accident, a _stupid _accident. And it was no one's fault but James'.

See, James had recently-the past Christmas, in fact-gotten into the habit of smoking. It started with just one or two a week and eventually progressed to three packs a week, minimum, but at this point he still was only smoking a few every couple of days. And, since James was sometimes incredibly reckless, he had decided to smoke near a window, to look down at the dark ground, for whatever reason. Whether to avoid everyone else-who were congratulating him on a great game-or just to avoid Lily, he was on the window, which had a very old, very dusty curtain. And James had a small fire going.

You can see where this led to.

"You idiot!" Lily chastised him for the next month, throwing out every cig she found, constantly saying he was going to get cancer and die. "You could have burnt down the entire dorm!"

"But I _didn't_, did I, Evans?"

"But you _could _have, is what I'm saying. What if, next time, you _do?_ I don't want anyone getting hurt, not even you!"

"Saying you have feelings for me, Evans?"

"Ugh! You can't take _anything_ seriously, can you?"

The second she left, James pulled out another cig, lighting it up and grinning.

….

_(July, 1978) _

No one ever died, and the Common Room didn't burn down. James certainly never did die of cancer. But he did get into a lot of trouble. All because he wanted a fire for a cig.

Even in July, it could get pretty damn cold in the woods, and James had become pretty much addicted to the cigarettes. (Lily had told him to knock it off, but he just couldn't.) Without a lighter, he had to resort to a fire. A pretty simple feat when you had wood and a wand.

Which is basically, in a nutshell, why the Death Eaters found him and why he spent nearly two months being held and beaten by them, only to be released as if nothing had ever happened.

"_No more Mudbloods." _

Well, almost nothing. Even afterward, when Lily claimed that all his smoking would harm his children (in fact, as a young boy, Harry did have acute asthma, but quickly grew out of it.) and would give him cancer-as I mentioned, this also never happened-and despite everything that happened because of his damn cigs, even despite _all _of this, James still continued to smoke.

You might have called it a slight problem.

_**/**_

"_You can spend minutes, hours, days, weeks, or even months over-analyzing a situation; trying to put the pieces together, justifying what could've, would've happened... or you can just leave the pieces on the floor and move the fuck on."-Tupac Shakur _

_(Obviously, this was all an accident)_

_or_

_(Half a person)_

_(April, 1975)_

The morning after, it was an awkward dance, avoiding without completely isolating the others presence. Oh, James made jokes about them for hours and Peter smiled and mentioned that they were acting very childish. (Occasionally, Pete could have his own little moments of wisdom. Unfortunately, they were often covered up by his much louder friends.) But neither one were fully aware of what had occurred just last night. And they weren't-Sirius and Remus, that is-ready to acknowledge the fact just yet.

"About last night-" Remus began.

"It was nothing. I was drunk, you were tipsy, and I tripped. We weren't in our right mind. Obviously this was all an accident."

"Glad you think so. Problem solved, then?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

"Good."

One of them was a little liar. (Not Remus.)

….

_(January, 1996)_

"I've seen the way you look at her, Moony." said Sirius casually, looking at Remus over his coffee cup. Remus looked up, startled.

"Who?"

"Tonks, of course."

"And how do I '_look at her_', exactly?"

"Like you're in love."

"What would _you _know about love?"

"Oi! I was in love, once."

"Oh, yes? With whom?"

"Y'know...someone." Sirius said cryptically, dropping a leftover candy cane into his coffee and waking away.

Sometimes, Sirius felt like only half a person.

_**/**_

"_One way to make sure everyone gets to work on time would be to have 95 parking spaces for every 100 employees"-Michael Iapoce_

_(The Consequences of Past Actions)_

_or _

_(5:19) _

_(April 14th, 1980) _

"Mr. Potter! Where, _exactly_, do you think you're going?"

The clock on the wall read 5:19. Exactly nineteen minutes _after _James' shift ended, but that never seemed to matter to Amelia Bones, the head of the Auror Department. She was a sharp-faced woman that reminded James of McGonagall; hawk-eyed, a stickler for rules, and rusty when it came to humor. The only difference was that Amelia had a little less grey in her hair and wore a monocle, instead of glasses.

"It-it's the end of my shift, Miss. I was just going home. My-my wife..." he trailed off, wishing Sirius were here. Sirius was usually able to turn any situation into a calm, relaxing joke, but James' best mate was currently on a mission for Auror training. (Technically, it was actually an Auror mission headed up by fellow member, Alastor Moody, but no one needed to know that.) And James was a little less..._charismatic_, especially when it came to monocle wearing Department heads.

"Did I _say _you could clock out, yet, Mr. Potter? You have a load of paperwork on your desk and I still need you to sort through those envelopes, make sure they've all got the right address and message and all. Or did you think you would just leave that until Monday?"

"Uh...uh, no, ma'am. It's only, well, my wife's got a little girl and another on the way, and I promised I'd get home...uh...sooner tonight. It's our anniversary tomorrow and..." James was at a loss for words, everything sounding like half-baked excuses, even to him.

"And you're telling me this because it's important? Because it's going to get the work done?"

"Well, no, but-"

"If it's not relevant, then you can just go back to work. Trainee or not, you are still here to do your job, and you won't leave until it _is _done."

"Uh...y-yes ma'am!" James scuttled back towards his desk, his face scarlet, as another trainee snickered in his direction. It was a boy, just a year older than James, named Callis Heim, who, because he was a third year trainee and James was only a second year, thought James could do nothing but screw up. And, unfortunately for James, Amelia Bones seemed intent on making James look like he _did _only screw up everything. He sometimes wondered if McGonagall had had a word with her to recommend being as hard on him and Sirius as possible. It sure seemed that way, sometimes.

It was now 5:28 and his wife was probably going to kill him when he got home.

….

5:34. James should have been home now, but he wasn't.

"Mumma, lookit!" said Lily's almost fifteen month old daughter, Marie. The little girl had Lily's dark red hair, with bits of brown here and there, and James' hazel eyes. She stretched out a grubby, sticky hand, clutching Marie's stuffed lamb, Fuzzhead. The thing was a faded grey and missing most of its stuffing. "Fuzzhead is dancin', Mumma!" She made Fuzzhead's head loll back and forth a bit, grinning. Lily smiled back, congratulating her.

"Mumma, where Dada? Dada supposed to be here, Mumma."

"Yes, he is." said Lily, looking back towards the front door. It was charmed to only let friends and family through. Usually, James had been getting home around eight or nine-too late to say good night to Marie-but he had _promised_. Lily was aware of how much like a little girl she sounded, thinking that, but it was their _first _anniversary tomorrow and he had bloody _promised_.

"Where Dada?"

"I've no idea, lamb. How about you take Fuzzhead into your room and I'll be by in a minute to read you a story. Alright?"

"S'not bedtime yet, Mumma. Stories for bedtime."

"Well, this is an _extra _story, alright?"

"Otay, Mumma." Marie said, tottling off towards her bedroom. Lily smiled wanly after her, wishing she still held a child's innocent outlook on the world.

5:56

_Now, where the hell was James?_

….

5:59

It was, to be honest, a _lot _of paperwork. Quite too much to do all in one night, and Amelia Bones knew that. She usually wouldn't assign a full-time Auror that much, let alone a _trainee_, but Minerva had warned her (personally writing a letter to Amelia, which rarely ever happened. Many people were intimidated by Minerva but Amelia still remembered Minerva, the young, and slightly less experienced, Transfiguration teacher who had taught her so much as a young girl.) that Potter was a trouble maker, and Amelia, even after a year with him, was constantly on alert, waiting for him to start messing around.

Amelia's own brother had been like that, fifteen years ago, when he had joined. A prankster, a joker. And now, he was dead, with nothing left behind but a little boy and girl who had no parents. Amelia had been left behind with her two other brothers, Edgar and Zacchius, but even today, she couldn't help but see her brother's body, all over the ground in front of her, his last words, "_It's only a bunch of kids, Melly. I can take 'em._"

Potter and Black were obviously just as foolhardy as her brother had once been and Amelia Bones wasn't going to let the same mistake happen twice. Not while _she _was in charge. If that meant way too much paperwork, then so be it. If James Potter couldn't handle paperwork, he didn't need to be out in the field.

6:07

….

6:18

"Uh, Madame Bones?" James stuck his head inside Amelia's office. "Uh, can I go? Please?"

She looked up at him. At the clock. Back at him. "Very well, Mr. Potter. But I expect you an hour early to make up for this."

"O-okay."

6:19

….

6:25

"Where have you been?"

"I got held up at the office. Bones wanted me to complete more work."

"Why didn't you say no, then?"

"Because it's my job!"

"And I'm your wife!"

"Lily..." he sighed. "Listen, I just...I want Bones and the others to recognise me as someone of value. Someone who can get their job done. I'm sorry, honest I am, but sometimes, this is how it's going to be."

"On our anniversary every year?"

"Yeah." She grinned back at him slightly, kissing him on the cheek.

"You'll have to make up for this later, then."

6:31

_**/**_

"_Never get out of bed before noon."-Charles Bukowski _

_(Saturdays)_

_or _

_(Quidditch Matches)_

_(November, 1972)_

Lily didn't ever intend on being impressed by Quidditch in general, and _certainly _not James Potter and Sirius Black. The two boys were the youngest on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, which seemed to make them think this gave them some sort of right to show off at every point possible. No, Lily Evans was never going to waste any soggy tissues on _those two_. Why should she?

And this was the exact reason why Lily Evans was the only girl in her dorm still inside that cold, wet day. Mary and Marlene had tried to talk her into coming with them, Alice had offered to stay inside (it was fairly obvious she wanted to watch Frank Longbottom, the _other _beater, and a much nicer guy than Sirius Black.) but Lily turned her down. Dorcas Meadowes, who seemed to spend most of her time with the Hufflepuff girls, anyway, merely shrugged and told the others that she didn't care either way. Dorcas was usually like that.

Content with the idea that everyone had gone out to see the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw Quidditch match, Lily decided to go to the library to finish her Charms essay. Unfortunately, Lily had forgotten all about Emma Vanity, a Slytherin Third Year, who Lily had recently-and quite accidentally-angered by spilling pumpkin juice on her jumper. Emma was tall, but thick-bodied, and very cunning. She had, just this morning in fact, been released from the Hospital Wing after the nurse had fixed her arm. (Emma had gotten into a fight with a Sixth Year boy and, according to rumors, won with only a broken arm. The Sixth Year, however, had gotten a bloody nose, a broken wrist, arm, and two cracked ribs.)

But Lily Evans did not know this, nor had she bothered to remember that Emma rarely forgot a grudge and was always ready for revenge.

"Hey, Mudblood!" the blonde yelled, then Lily was suddenly pinned against the brick wall, Emma's breath loud and heavy in her ears. Lily struggled against the bigger girl, but Emma only gripped her arms tighter. "Remember me, Mudblood?"

"What? No, let me go!"

"You messed up my jumper."

"You're crazy!"

"Maybe. And maybe you're about to be dead. The world doesn't need Mudblood scum like you anyway."

"Ms. Vanity, Ms. Evans! What is going on here?" asked a sharp voice. McGonagall, arms crossed, stood at the end of the hallway, glaring at them. "Ms. Vanity, please release Ms. Evans at once, or I shall be forced to give you detention."

"Mudblood." Emma spat, dropping Lily.

"Thirty points from _each _of your houses for fighting."

"Professor, I-"

"Ms. Evans, I would suggest you go to the Hospital Wing to get your arm checked out. It doesn't look pretty."

….

"So, you're saying Vanity nearly creamed you, and McGonagall _still _took off points from our house?" asked Alice, looking incredulous.

"Yeah. I mean, what's her problem? I could've _died_."

"Well, at least we got all those points back from today's game. I told you should have come with us," said Marlene smugly.

"No, what I _should _have done is stayed in bed."

_**/**_

"_And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet."-Matthew 24:6 _

_(There's a storm brewing)_

_or_

_(Severus makes a choice)_

_(March, 1978) _

"Well? We've given you plenty of time now, Severus. Long enough to think, I'm sure. I only want to know, are you up for it, or not? You've only got a little while, and then it will be too late. You'll have missed your chance to be a part of history, all because you couldn't choose."

"I said I didn't know, Avery! I just...we're still in school. Can't I graduate first?"

"Graduation day is getting closer." said Hebrew Lacante, Jansen Avery's lackey, a sullen, large boy. He leered at Severus, grinning darkly, though his eyes remained dull and emotionless. "Dark Lord isn't going to wait forever, Snape."

"Heb is right, Severus. The Dark Lord _won't _wait forever. And neither will I. You need to decide _soon_, if not now."

"Please...just...give me one more day. I'll tell you tomorrow, for sure."

"Fine. One more day, Severus."

….

Severus wandered down the hallway, hands in his pocket, wandering listlessly. Avery had, it seemed, already talked to half the dorm and a few boys from Ravenclaw who had seemed pretty like-minded. But still, to have such an obvious, life-changing decision in front of him. He shivered, wondering if he was ready.

Just then, Severus passed by a snogging couple on a bench. This wasn't all too uncommon-in fact, it was sort of hard to not notice at least one or two a day, usually the same ones, unless they were in detention-but it wasn't the snogging that caught his attention. It was _who _was snogging that made him pause.

"You!" he yelled, alarming the two. James _fucking _Potter and Lily Evans. They pulled away, startled. "You...you _asshole_!"

"What the fuck, Snape? What are you doing here?"

"What are _you _doing to Lily?"

"Excuse me? She's my girlfriend, not that it matters to you, Snivellus."

Severus stopped short. "Girlfriend?" His voice had gone tight, his eyes hardening. His jaw clenched as Potter stepped just in front of Lily, as if to protect her. _From Severus. _

"Yeah, girlfriend. Not that you probably even know what that is."

"Don't be mean, James." said Lily, looking nervously between the two boys.

"How long have you been going out, then?"

"Since February. Why do you care, Snape?"

"N-no reason." Severus bit his lip, hating himself for the crack in his voice. Hating _fucking _Potter for touching Lily like that. How could she? And with Potter!

"Severus..." Lily started, getting up from the bench.

"_Mudblood_!" he screamed at her. "Dirty whore! You two deserve each other! _Fuck you_, both of you! I hope the Dark Lord kills you two first."

Lily gasped, pulling away from him. Potter's fists clenched, swinging at Severus' face. _Crack!_

"Leave us the hell alone, Snape. Leave Lily alone, she doesn't _like _you."

"James, please-"

"Stop defending him, Lily! He just called you a...a you-know-what! He's not your friend anymore, he doesn't care. He's one of them!"

Severus lunged at Potter, tackling him. Lily stood above them, trying to pull the two apart as they rolled on the floor, screaming and punching at each other.

"Knock it off!" she yelled. "Stop it! Stop it!"

Potter suddenly pushed Severus off him, panting. His lip was swollen and a bruise was forming on his left cheek. "_Fuck _you, Snape. _Fuck _you and all your friends. Go back to hell."

"Lily," Severus said, looking at the redhead. She shook her head, stepping closer towards James.

"You called me Mudblood, Severus. You _promised _you wouldn't,"

"I'm sorry, Lily-"

"No. Stop it. James is right. I don't need to defend you; I need to stop giving you chances." She pulled James to his feet, pulling him away from Severus.

He turned and hurried down the hallway, telling himself _'Guys don't cry. Slytherins don't cry. Future Death Eaters don't cry. You'll show Potter. That asshole. I can't believe she'd do that...' _

His mind was made up now, his decision clear.

….

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"I've decided. I'm ready, I want to join. I want to serve the Dark Lord and help."

Avery smirked. "Back so soon? I would have thought you'd need a little more time."

"No, I'm ready. Just one thing."

"Yeah?"

"If we ever end up against Potter or that Mudblood, Evans...they're _mine._"

Avery nodded. "Very well."

_**/**_

"_The two hardest things to say in life are hello for the first time and goodbye for the last." Moira Rogers._

"_Hi, I'm James" "Hi, I'm Lily."-James Potter and Lily Evans, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 2) _

_(Lily tells a slight lie)_

_or_

_(A Discussion will Always be interrupted by James Potter)_

_(1973) _

"I will never, ever, _ever _like James Potter. _Ever_. There isn't one thing you could say to convince me otherwise."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing. He's a bigoted, self-centered jerk whose only goal in life is to bully other people. Have you _heard _how he's always going on about ever tying he has, all the fancy brooms and nice rooms and his fancy _Pureblood _family."

"You know, if I didn't know better...judging from the amount of time you talk about James Potter...well, it would have _me _convinced you might have the slightest of crushes on him, Lils."

"But I don't. I couldn't, not him. Maybe Remus or Peter-they're not half bad and, besides, Remus is _smart_-but never Sirius Black and _certainly _never James Potter."

"You so sure 'bout that, Evans?" James leaned against Lily's desk, grinning down at her. "I hear Sirius is pretty interested in gingers, these days. You'll want to hurry, though, there's _no _telling how fast his preferences might change."

"Bugger off, Potter. I wasn't talking to you."

"Grumpy, are we? Alright, alright, I'll leave you two to your little...romances. Have fun."

"I'm going to murder that boy," Lily said between clenched teeth. "One day, I swear, I am. I hate him _so _much!"

….

_This was a slight lie, on Lily's part. She didn't hate James. (Lily swore she would never hate anybody, no matter what, and it simply wasn't in her nature.) She disliked him. He was annoying and he frustrated her. But Lily did. not. hate. him. _

_However, she most certainly did not like him. He was, as she said many times, a self-centered bigot with too many immature thoughts. Yes, she admired his cleverness and bravery and his ability to say what he thought. But, especially the first six years of their relationship, James' bad traits outweighed the good. And so, Lily decided that, since she couldn't hate James, she would merely ignore him._

_Anyone who has ever tried to ignore a person knows this usually does not work and will probably only end with the other person seeming to pop up so much that you give up and begin talking to them again. It was doubly so for Lily, since they shared a House and most of the same classes._

_Lily would never consider herself very good at romantics or boys. Especially when it came to annoying ones who she maybe-probably-definitely didn't like. But she didn't hate him._

_And she never did actually murder him. _

_Lily lied quite a bit, actually._

….

"I don't understand why she doesn't like me, you know? I mean, I'm handsome, I'm smart, and I'm funny, popular, on the Quidditch team. What else does she want?!"

"Gee," began Remus sarcastically. "I'm sure Lily is perfectly fine with you _just _the way you are, James. I mean, you're just _so _perfect. Completely flawless, you know?"

"Thanks, Remus, but I'm not particularly interested in you, sorry. Maybe Eugene Holloway is interested, but not me."

"Shut up, James, you know what I mean. Lily isn't going to like you if you keep acting like a jerk."

"All the girls _I _know like the jerk thing. You obviously don't know what you're talking about, Remus." said Sirius, leaning casually against his bed post, a magazine in hand. "And, you know, I think Eugene might _actually _be interested in you."

"Oh god."

"What? What's wrong with Eugene Holloway?"

"Um...I'm not gay, remember?"

"You sure, Remus?"

"Fairly sure."

"You guys are weird." muttered Peter, pausing his ruffling through his trunk. "Why are all our conversations about Lily Evans or how likely it is that Remus is gay? I mean, what does that say about _us_?"

"It says you think too much, Pete." laughed Sirius.

"It also means you're an idiot." Peter mumbled to himself, resuming his search.

"All I asked was why Lily doesn't like me, not an entire discussion about the gayness of Remus."

"Oh my word! I'm not gay, you guys."

"Are you completely positive about that, Remus? Because it's usually the ones who deny the loudest that are gay."

"Why're you so interested, Sirius?" teased James. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"No reason, of course. Have you _seen_ my girlfriends? I don't need to be gay. I'm just curious for Eugene's sake. You know, so I can tell him whether or not Remus is interested yet."

"I hate you."

_**/**_

"_I will hurt you for this. I don't know how yet, but give me time. A day will come when you think yourself safe and happy, and suddenly your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth, and you'll know the debt is paid." -George R. R. Martin (Clash of Kings) _

_(They never seemed to notice)_

_or_

_(Well, they'd have to notice someday)_

_(August 5th, 1980)_

Peter looked down at the baby, which was sleeping peacefully in his arms. Only five days old, the boy, _Harry James Potter_, already looked remarkably like his father. The same dark hair and the same happy looking face. His nose was thinner and smaller than James-more like Mrs. Potter, James' mum-but other than that, Harry seemed to be a perfect copy of his father.

Asleep, that is.

Awake, eyes alert, Harry revealed the greatest physical difference between him and his father. Bright green eyes, like almond-shaped emeralds. An oddity, according to the Healer who had helped during the delivery.  
"Usually babies are born blue eyed. And when they aren't, the colour is usually sort of dim and muddled. Never seen a baby with such bright eyes."

James had seemed really fantastic, all hyped up and grinning away like a mad man. He kept handing Marie-the nineteen month old daughter he already had-off to people so he could hold Harry and show him off.

"Look at my babies. I make cute babies, don't I, Pads? Wormy? Don't I? I make cute babies."

Everyone seemed very excited about the new baby. Everyone but Peter.

To be honest, he had never seen the real interest in young children. They couldn't speak or walk or do anything without help. And if there was one thing Peter hated, it was feeling helpless. Unfortunately, he was often regarded to be the 'dumb one' out of the four boys, which meant a lot of people just assumed he was stupid before having even properly met him.

He didn't have a girlfriend, like Sirius seemed to, (a new one every few months, it appeared) or a lovely wife and kids, like James. He didn't even have the comfort of not really _wanting _to be in a relationship, like Remus. Girls simply weren't interested in him, even if he was interested in them.

Peter's interests were fairly vague, even to him. He certainly didn't like Quidditch,-it was more of James and Sirius' thing-but he didn't study all hours of the day, like Remus. And now, at twenty years old, with only a boring job at a dusty old pet store that only seemed interested in lazy cats and purple mice. He didn't particularly care for animals, but no one had come by from the Ministry offering _him _a nice, cushy job with decent pay. They hadn't even asked him to join the Order. James and Sirius had been asked. Lily had been asked. Even _Severus Snape _had been requested by Dumbledore. (Peter only knew that because Remus had casually mentioned it when talking about the Order.)

Only _Peter _had had to ask for permission to join. Only Peter had not gotten in on his own merits, but rather by resorting to plain old begging.

So, yes, Peter had plenty of reasons to be mad. To be jealous. No one seemed to notice him. He was the fourth one, the extra one. Often, he seemed to be left out of the big plans and fancy parties. James had chosen Sirius-_Sirius!_-for godfather over Peter. No one gave Peter the respect he deserved, he felt.

It had been a Slytherin, some burly bloke named Hebrew Lacante, who had first talked to him about the decency, about the _respect _that members of the Death Eaters got. How they were so well treasured by the Dark Lord, even if the rest of the world wasn't sure what to do with them. Amongst the Death Eaters, any man could find his place, Lacante had said.

Perhaps, if Peter had gotten a cat or a girlfriend or a little more attention as a child and young teenager, things wouldn't have gone down the way he did. But he fell by the wayside, even in his best mates lives, and Peter didn't get a cat or a girlfriend. Instead, he had found a man named Hebrew Lacante and a promise.

A promise for respect.

A promise for revenge.

_**/**_

_"Promise me you'll always remember, you're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."-Christopher Robin (The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh) _

_(A Poem) _

_or _

_(Lily blushed, and he couldn't resist) _

_(October, 1974) _

It had been a completely calm and nice lunch. Lily and her mates sat at the table, discussing the woes of homework and their excitement for the upcoming Hogsmeade trip. It really shouldn't have come to surprise to anyone, least of all Lily that James Potter would soon arrive to ruin it all.

"Hey, Evans!" he called and Lily groaned, dropping her head on the table. Why her? Why _him_? Couldn't Potter find some new girl to swoon over and bother to death? Surely there was _some other girl _who he could love! They all certainly seemed to love _him_.

"Oh, no." she said, sighing. Marlene grinned and Dorcas offered to crack his head open. She looked completely serious about it, too. "No, just ignore him. I'm sure he'll go away."

"You sure about that, Lily?" asked Mary, looking on in disbelief. "Only, that doesn't seem like Potter to give up on anything, especially when it involves you."

"Hey, Evans! Evans, I wanted to read you a poem," said James, clambering up on the bench, before folding his arms and pasting a big smile on his face, across the table from her. Lily groaned again, wishing that she could just die, right now.

"Go away, Potter. Lily doesn't want to hear it, right Lily?" said Dorcas, and Lily shook her head, still bright red.

"But it's _for _you." James insisted. Sirius Black (James' sidekick) wolf whistled, and several girls around them made little noises.

"_Lily Potter doesn't even know what she's turning down," _Lily heard one girl hiss to her friend, sending a glare at the red-head. Lily merely rolled her eyes. Why did everyone swoon over James Potter? He was only a prat.

"Potter, I'm losing my patience. Please go somewhere else before I also lose my lunch from being in your presence for too long." But she had blushed, and James couldn't resist. He just _had _to recite his poem to Lily now, while he had the chance.  
"Ahem," he began, clearing his throat and preparing his best 'reading' voice. He smirked briefly towards his mates, and then turned back towards Lily, who had now gone scarlet with embarrassment.

"Oh, please don't, James-"

"_Oh lovely lily clean, _

_O lily springing green, _

_O lily bursting white, _

_Dear lily of delight, _

_Spring in my heart agen, _

_That I may flower to men..." _

Several of the other Gryffindors burst into laughter and clapping as James gave a deep bow. Marlene and Dorcas looked close to tears, leaning on each other and laughing wildly. Mary looked up at James with some respect.

"I didn't know you read John Mansfield," she commented, and James shrugged, as if to say, _I'm full of surprises_. "That was cute, Potter."

"Cute?" Lily repeated, her voice shrill. "_Cute_? You think embarrassing me in front of the entire school is _cute_? This is stupid! _You're _stupid, Potter! Will you just leave me alone and stop ruining my life? Go sit down and eat your cereal like a normal person, and stop reciting poetry to me. It's not _cute_, it's immature."

"_I _think it's romantic," said Second Year Emmeline Vance, but Lily only sent her a withering look. "Well, it is," the girl grumbled.

"Doesn't milady enjoy the great works of such a fine poet as I?" asked James in his most formal voice, his smile crooked.

"No, I don't. And you _aren't _a good poet, you've only recited someone else's work."  
"I am struck, milady, that you have such lack of faith in me. Given more time, I would have created an epic poem, a great tale for all time to read. It would have been about our beautifully strong love, and how you adored me."

"I am going to kill you, Potter."

"But, milady-"

"_Stop calling me that!_"

….

"Ah, young love," said Dumbledore, smiling happily to himself. "Don't you find it sweet, Minerva?"

McGonagall, her face as stern as ever, merely shook her head. "Not if it means calling on Filch to clean up the dead bodies, no."

_**/**_

"_Dress shabbily, the_y _notice the dress. Dress impeccably, they notice the woman."-Coco Chanel _

_(Mrs. Evans liked Tupperware)_

_or_

_(A Quick Glance at a home life)_

_(August 23rd, 1971) _

"Sometimes, Lily, it doesn't hurt to look nice," said Mrs. Evans, looking up at her from her mag. Her daughter, just eleven years old, was sitting in a big orange chair. Lily looked nervously at the woman next to her, holding sharp scissors. This was her first proper haircut in years. Lily had always preferred to wear her hair long, fighting even a simple back-to-school trim.

"Mummy, I don't _want _to look nice, I want my hair to be long, like it always is. You know, _Severus _likes my hair like this."

Severus Snape, Lily's best mate, was a sensitive topic in the Evans household. Mrs. Evans tolerated the little boy as long as he did not wreck her social standing, but Mr. Evans and Petunia thought he was too scrappy and strange to socialise with Lily.

"_Severus _is not here to have your hair cut, now is he? I am your mother and you will do as I say, Lilian Marie."

"But I like my hair this way! Why don't you understand me? You never listen to my opinion! Never!"

Mrs. Evans touched her own blonde curls and smiled. Lily was a child, she didn't really _know _what she actually wanted. "You know, when I was a girl, like you, I used to fight _my _mum all the time about wearing skirts to school. I wanted to wear trousers, like my brothers. But look at me now! Stylish and married and happy. Don't you think I look pretty, Lilian?"

Lily didn't answer, only stared ahead into the mirror as the hair dresser snipped away at her red locks, which were down to her bum when they started. Mrs. Evans sighed and addressed the hair dresser directly, which she had only done once before to tell her she wanted Lily's hair "short but girlish. Like me."

"Amelia," for this was the woman's name. "Amelia, don't you think I look lovely?"

"Of course, Mrs. Evans." said Amelia shortly. As far as she was concerned, a customer was a customer. She wasn't going to argue with the person who paid her. Mrs. Evans preened at the compliment; her daughter, however, was not so blind.

Amelia was dark-skinned, with large blue eyes and a sweet enough smile. She was only twenty-five, just old enough to be respected, but young enough to understand the sorrows of childhood. She smiled sadly at Lily, reminding herself to give the young girl an extra piece of candy when they were done. Mrs. Evans might have been annoying, but Lily Evans was a sweet little girl; it was very hard to dislike her.

"I don't _care_, Mum. I don't care about looking pretty, I like my hair the way it is, and that's long." But the scissors were snipping away at her hair and Amelia wasn't stopping.

"Would you mind speeding up a bit, Amelia? I've got a Tupperware meeting at three and I would hate to be late."

"All you ever talk about is Tupperware," Lily muttered under her breath, and Amelia chuckled lightly.

"What did you say, Lilian Marie?"

"Nothing, Mum."

"Good. Now, Amelia, remember not to cut it _too _short. I wouldn't want Lilian to look like a boy, now would I? She's going to a private school up in Scotland in a week, and I want her to look nice for it."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Oh!" said Mrs. Evans, clapping her hands. "That's a good length there! Stop cutting!"

"Yes, ma'am."

Lily looked in the mirror, seeing her beautiful red hair now only just below her shoulders. On the floor around her was the rest of her hair, which Amelia was beginning to sweep up. She felt like crying as Mrs. Evans handed over the money and directed Lily to the car. She did _not _look beautiful. Not at all.

….

_(June 3rd, 1977)_

Lily recalled the incident from six years before, when she had fought with her mother over something so silly as her hair being cut. She briefly touched her dark hair, which she still wore short, even now. Now, in retrospect, it all seemed so foolish, when she considered it all, more mature.

Her mother was dead, and all she could think of now was yelling at her mum for cutting her hair. Her mother was dead and she didn't even have any decent memories to show for it. Nothing...she had been an awful daughter, really.

"_Just remember, Lily. Always remember Coco Chanel."_

"_Who?"_

"_Coco Chanel, darling! The greatest woman ever! If __**anyone **__knew about beauty, it was Coco Chanel. __**She **__knows how to live, how to live in style. You'd best listen to her, __**she'll **__teach you all you need to know about staying pretty for your man."_

"_Mum..."_

"_Yes, dear?"_

"_I don't really care about Coconut or whoever she is. I just want my hair back."_

"_Coco, dear. Her name was Coco."_

"_You're not listening, Mum." _

She never had, not really. Oh, yes, her mum loved Lily and Petunia as much as she could. She was always there for her daughters and her family. Mrs. Evans hadn't been the best human, but she tried, and now she was dead. And Lily could only sit here and think about how her mother had never cared and she felt like the worst daughter ever. Because she was, really. An awful, horrible, disgrace of a daughter. She was a pathetic excuse for a daughter.

Lily just wanted her mum back.

_**/**_

"_It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."-Albus Dumbledore, Chamber of Secrets (page 245) by J.K. Rowling_

_(A Final Confrontation)_

_or_

_(The End of an era)_

_(August 30th, 1980)_

Severus stood on the doorstep, feeling quite awkward. Inside, he could see a young girl, a toddler just two years or so, laughing as her mother bent down to fetch her. Both had dark red hair. Taking a deep breath, Severus knocked on the door, wincing. Almost waiting for her to _not come_. He wouldn't be surprised. But this was his last tie to his old life. He had to make sure.

"Hullo? Oh..." Lily opened the door, looking at her old childhood friend. He offered her a half-hearted smile, but she didn't smile back.

"Hello, Lily."

"Severus." Her voice wasn't entirely cold-like it had been at the end of Fifth Year-but it wasn't at all warm. "What brings you here?"

"I-I wanted to talk to you. A-About us."

"I thought we were over that, Severus. _I'm _over it. That was in the past, remember?"

"There's still time, Lily. There's still time for you to let go of all this nonsense, to let go of him. The Order, I'm sorry to say, it's not going to be around forever. Neither is Dumbledore."

"And the Dark Lord _is_?"

"I dunno, probably not. I mean, we all die, don't we? I'm only saying, Lily, that he's targeting blood traitors and Muggles and..."

"Mudbloods?" Severus winced. "Oh, don't act like that, you know I'm just as much on that list as James or my sister. Besides, you and I both know your dad's a Muggle, and I'm sure that's not too big of a secret from the Dark Lord anyway, he seems to know who and what everyone is, what makes _you _any more safe than James?"

"I-I..."

"Sev!" It was the first time in a while she'd used that name, only reverting back to childhood from shock. "Don't tell me you've joined..._them_?"

"I-I can't say anything, really. All you ought to know is, your family is pretty high up on his list. I mean, between the Order and Potter-" he spat the name out, disgusted. "being an Auror and a blood traitor and you being a-a _Muggleborn_...and the prophecy."

"How do you know about that?!"

"D-Dumbledore! Honest!"

"Severus, I'm sorry, _really_, I am, but you're too late. Five years too late, really. I-I...James and I, we've got a life together, a _family _together."

"A family?"

"Yeah. A girl and a boy."

"I s'pose they look like him, then?" Severus' eyes were dark, his face burning. Lily didn't have to ask who _him _was. It was rather obvious.

"Well, my son, Harry, does, a lot, yeah. And Marie, she's got his eyes, but my hair. But..."she hesitated. "Harry...well, Harry's got _green_ eyes."

Severus looked up. "Green?"

"Mmhmm. As green as emeralds, you might say." she gave him a sad smile, as if handing him one last gift.

"So, this is it, then? The end of it all? The final good-bye?"

"This is, indeed, the final good-bye, Severus."

"Lily..." _Lily, please_, his eyes begged.

"Please leave us alone, Sev. This isn't Hogwarts, anymore. Besides, we've made our choices."

"I'm in the Order with you!"

"Yes, but you've dedicated yourself to something else, haven't you?"

"So?"

"I can't accept both parts of your life, Severus. And I can't live with only half a man."

"You're just stomping on my heart, Lily."

"Sometimes, I still wonder..."

"Wonder what?"

"Have you still got a heart? Or does the Dark Lord not allow that?"

"Of course I've got a heart, Lily! All for you, if you'd only come with me!"

"Severus, don't do this to me. You _know _what's going on. My life is barely safe enough as it is! I'm sorry, we're done!" She threw the door shut in his face.

On either side of the door, they slumped, their backs against each other. Tears spring to both pairs of eyes, black and green.

"_Oh, god, Lily. I'm sorry."_

"_Oh, god, Sev. How could you?" _

Somewhere, upstairs, a baby cried, his eyes a bright green colour. Like emeralds, you might say. But his story has not started yet, and Lily's story has not quite ended.

_**/**_

_**THAT'S IT! I'M DONE, IT'S ALL DONE! I'M NOT DOING THIS ANYMORE! I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS ANYMORE! (Just kidding. But this was driving me nuts. Gosh.) **_

_**I apologise for the Sirius/OC, but it had to be done, simply so Sirius could drop her ass on the curb. I never support Sirius/OC. Or anyone/OC really. (Well, OC/OC goes well together b/c neither one really exists.) Self-inserts are the work of the devil. (Like my Adam Sandler shout out?) But, yeah, I hate when people pair Sirius up with some random chick that DOES NOT EXIST! and then proceed to act like Little Miss Perfect is his soul mate/mother of his babies/sex-slave. They're all slags and tarts. AND AREN'T EVEN REAL, SO STOP IT! **_


End file.
